ACTION ALERT
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!
Rainforest Portal & Climate Ark, projects of Ecological Internet
https://www.rainforestportal.org/ &
https://www.climateark.org/ October 15, 2007
TAKE ACTION Given revelations of misconduct in Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests by the World Bank and UK aid agencies, the World Bank's desire to administer global carbon payments for rainforest protection as a means to address climate change is suspect
https://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=world_bank_forest_policy
The World Bank's independent inspection panel has found serious violations of the Bank's own rules as foreign companies were encouraged to destructively log the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) rainforests, endangering the lives of thousands of Congolese Pygmies. Along with the British government, the Bank has since 2002 sought to "create a favorable climate for industrial logging" in the Congo by rushing through new forestry laws and dividing the country's massive rainforests into logging zones. This is the World Bank's most recent failure to promote "sustainable" ancient rainforest logging, and comes as they position themselves to administer international carbon market funds meant to protect ancient rainforests for their climate benefits... The concept of "avoided deforestation" -- whereby countries are paid to protect forests -- has the potential to maintain standing rainforests in an intact, fully functioning condition; while meeting reasonable local development needs... Many crucial details regarding how avoided deforestation payments would work remain undefined... To be maximally effective, avoided deforestation climate payments should only support strict preservation of ancient forests; and not their "sustainable" selective logging, certified or otherwise... Industrial ancient forest logging must be rejected and replaced with an emphasis upon community development based upon standing, intact rainforests. This requires abandoning subsidizing of DRC's industrial forestry, fully protecting Pygmy rights, and ensuring carbon payments are made only for strict rainforest preservation.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
https://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=world_bank_forest_policy
https://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=rainforest
https://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Congo
https://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=World+Bank
https://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=deforestation
